Nestled in the Himalayas, in the state of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, lies the entrance to an interconnected underground city known as Patal Bhuvaneshwar. Spread across 16m and at a depth of 90m, the portal to the nether world invites all!
While planning the itinerary for a trip to Uttarakhand, I stumbled upon this intriguing ancient rock formation and there was no looking back!
We travelled from Jageshwar to Chaukori at the brink of monsoon, hoping that the skies remain clear for a few more days. The next day, right after breakfast, we strapped ourselves in the car and journeyed 14km along the Himalayas to Patal Bhuvaneshwar. The sun was shining amidst the crisp cool air at 11 am while we walked 800m from the parking to the entrance of the cave. The railings of the path were adorned with bells and red forehead bands as if welcoming the pilgrims to the site of divinity. One has to buy a ticket and deposit all baggage and electronic gadgets in a locker. Photography inside the cave isn’t permitted (The pictures of the cave used in my blog have been captured by Chandra Shekhar Pathak and this album was sold outside the temple). After removing the footwear and taking a deep breath in, I proceeded to enter the cave, as guided by Pandit (Priest) Bhandari.
While holding the metal chain, crouching in the dimly lit entrance we climbed down into a sharp 75-degree drop. Manoeuvring on the slippery pathway, crawling from one tunnel to another is definitely a survival of the fittest. Panditji takes in batches of 20 people at a time as the oxygen level in the cave is very low. When we reached the floor of the cave, it seemed as if it was extending endlessly on all sides. The floor was cold and my feet were covered in a layer of damp greyish-black soil. This was nothing short of an adventure of a lifetime!
History of Patal Bhuvaneshwar:
Before we could proceed with the tour of this ancient site, Panditji summarised the history of the cave. You can also find it written in booklets sold across Patal Bhuvaneshwar and the hoardings that mention the evidence of this cave in Skanda Purana.
Raja Rituparana of the Suryavanshi Dynasty is said to have visited this cave in Treta Yug. He was given a tour of this underground city by Shesh Naag himself. The cave was rediscovered by the Pandavas and Draupadi during their last trip across the Himalayas. Adi Shankaracharya too meditated in the cave premise.
Shesh Naag:
In Hindu culture, Shesh Naag is the mighty snake that carries the Earth on it’s hood. It is said that from it’s mouth, the entrance of the nether world or Patal Lok begins. As soon as we reached the floor of the cave, the limestone formation of the Shesh Naag welcomed us. On the sides of the cave, we could clearly notice it’s long, sharp fangs while it’s skeletal frame was below our feet. Panditji took us from one rock formation to another, giving us a bird’s eye view of the underground cave city.
Vasuki and the Yagna kund:
On the walls of the cave, the impression of the thin long snake Vasuki was visible. This snake rests on the shoulders of Lord Shiva. Right below the wall was a Yagna kund. According to Panditji, here King Janmajaya conducted a yagna to avenge his father Parikshit’s death by killing all snakes on earth and Patal Lok.
Adi-Ganesh (Original form of Ganesh):
We walked further to the limestone structure of Adi Ganesh. The structure looks like the body of a child without it’s head. On the surface, one can see 3 holes for the spine, breath and food respectively. Right above is another rock formation of a large Brahmakamal flower from which drops of water regularly nourish the structure below.
This is the original form of Lord Ganesh, right after his head was severed. The drops of water from the Brahmakamal flower kept the body alive until another head was found to replace it.
Char Dham (four divine abodes) and Amarnath:
We walked further and saw miniature cave structures on the walls and naturally formed small shiv lingam beside them. They were all placed at different heights. These were miniatures of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Amarnath and Amarnath Gufa.
Cave of Rishi Markandeya:
As we moved further, we could see numerous alley of caves, one after the other. It is said that these caves lead to Kashi, Mathura, Kedarnath, Mansarover and Rameshwaram. If one looks into the cave, one can observe a shadow of a Rishi sitting in Padmasana. Panditji said that Rishi Markandeya meditated in this cave and left a visible presence of his subtle body.
The Gates of Patal Bhuvaneshwar:
At a crossroad, we could see that only one door was open while the rest were sealed naturally. Paap-dwaar (The gate of sin) was open in Treta Yug. After the annihilation of Ravan, this door was closed. Ran-dwaar (The gate of war) too closed after the mighty battle of Kurukshetra in Dwapar Yug. At the brink of Kali Yug, Moksh-dwaar (The gate of liberation) of Satyug opened once again. From the mouth of Dharma-dwaar (The gate of righteousness), one moves into the Moksh-dwaar and continues the tour of Patal Bhuvaneshwar.
Shiv Jata (Matted hair of Lord Shiva):
While moving towards the deepest accessible region of the cave, we walked right past the icy cold formation of Lord Shiva’s Jata (hair). The floor of the cave was slippery and cold. The Jata was half frozen while the other half was made up of limestone.
I stood there spellbound by the magnanimous Jata of Lord Shiva!
Right below the Jata was a naturally formed Shiv Lingam and 33 koti Hindu Gods. A small kund (pond) was also present. Panditji strictly warned us from consuming it as it was poisonous. It is said that Vishwakarma (Divine Architect) himself created this kund. The rock formation of his hand was present right beside the pond.
Shiva Shakti Lingam:
At the deepest accessible region of Patal Bhuvaneshwar lies the Shiva Shakti Lingam. Made up of Sphatik-Mani (crystal), the lingam represents the trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. While the group engaged in prayer, I found myself extensively dizzy. I couldn’t breathe and felt restless. I had to move upwards to catch a breath of fresh air. The region where the lingam is placed has very little oxygen. As one travels further into the cave, the oxygen level falls to zero.
Airavat and Parijata tree:
We walked back to the base region of Patal Bhuvaneshwar and rested in the damp soil for a while. The ceiling of the cave has the formation of the footprints of the Divine elephant Airavat. Surprisingly, there is also a living Parijata tree within the cave premise. This lone Parijata tree is stuck between the Earth and the nether world. In the fight between Lord Krishna and Indra, the tree remains wandering between two worlds. Although it had no leaves, the tree had fruits.
This is nothing short of a miracle!
Vridh Bhuvaneshwar:
I crawled out of Patal Bhuvaneshwar and sat under the shade of a tree, in the bright sunshine absorbing what my eyes had witnessed. We walked from one end of the mountain to the other to see Vridh Bhuvaneshwar. On the way, one can see a sculpture museum too.
Patal Bhuvaneshwar is hard to visit during the monsoon as the oxygen level further decreases. The best time to visit is from the months of April to June. You can find suitable accommodation in Patal Bhuvaneshwar, Haat Kalika, Berinag and Chaukori. Mental, physical fitness and faith helps in your journey to explore the cave for an hour.
Even after returning from my trip and settling into routine life, the vivid sights of Patal Bhuvaneshwar lives with me.
It is a surreal experience, filled with divinity that one should not miss!
If you would like to learn more about the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and explore the ancient group of temples at Jageshwar Dham, read my blogpost for more.
Leave a Reply